A new year’s resolution for the government

It’s time for a ‘great reset’ on damaging public scandals

2021 was a mixed year for the government. One of the high points was the tremendous pace and efficiency with which the government launched and undertook the vaccine rollout, and the enormous credit they deserve for handling the pandemic. One only has to look to the European continent to see that the controversial decision to remove all restrictions in the summer may have saved us from tighter restrictions at Christmas

Despite this achievement, the government has done much to undermine the public’s faiths in politicians, particularly in the latter half of 2021. Inevitably, the successive scandals will linger in the public mind and overshadow the government’s successes. From a mishandling of concerns about paid advocacy from MPs with second jobs, to revelations that staff belonging to Number 10 failed to abide to covid restrictions at a time when the public were legally forced to make huge sacrifices to control the pandemic, public confidence in politicians is reverting to the usual negative stereotypes.

Being a Bishop with the privilege of sitting in the House of Lords, I regularly come into contact with politicians from all parties. The overwhelming majority are hardworking people, with a real concern for their constituents and the public more generally. Political scandals unfairly tar all politicians with the same brush and leave the public feeling cynical about politics as a whole.

Whether the actions of the prime minister, government representatives, or individual members of parliament, integrity needs to flow down from the top, and for that reason this new crisis of confidence lies firmly at the government’s door.

Political scandals are nothing new, and there is not a single government in history that has not been rocked by misdemeanours. Whilst we may long for our politicians to be squeaky clean, all of us are fallen human beings. Nevertheless, we rightly expect our politicians to espouse the highest of standards.

Periodic crises of confidence in politicians come and go, but it is vital whenever there is a crisis it is met with a robust response that emphasises and demonstrates the virtues of diligence, accountability and right conduct.

The New Year is time when many people make resolutions. If the government wants to ‘build back better’ then it needs to start from the top. For the sake of our country and our population, I hope the government will rise to the challenge and govern with honesty and integrity in 2022.